The Adventures of Akbar | Page 9

arms and shouting:
"He says 'The top! the top!'" cried Roy, who was keen in hearing as in
everything else. "Courage, mother! our troubles are over!"
They had not quite ended, but in a few minutes more they had reached
the beginning of the pass proper. Before them lay a grassy boggy slope
curling gently upwards between higher rockier slopes. A little stream
plashed softly adown it, through a perfect wilderness of flowers, and
without one word the tired travellers threw themselves beside it for rest
and refreshment.
But Baby Akbar looked a little troubled.
"Amma, Dadda 'way 'way in a 'ky," he said solemnly, and essayed to
crawl on over the grass. For he could not walk yet, though he spoke so
well. They say he began to talk when he was nine months old.

CHAPTER IV
TUMBU-DOWN
After a while the party started on their way once more feeling greatly
brisked up. But the heat of the day was now upon them, and though the
snow lay close beside the path, the fierce sun melting it made the
vapour rise and turned the narrow valley into a regular steam bath.
The perspiration ran down the travellers' faces and especially down
poor Head-nurse's; for she had insisted on taking off her veil to twist it
turbanwise round Baby Akbar's head since the Royal Umbrella was
forbidden. Foster-mother had tried to take off hers also, but Head-nurse
had angrily forbidden her to do any such thing. If she, Head-nurse, died

of sunstroke what matter, but if Foster-mother failed, what--even
though one back tooth had been gloriously cut--would become of the
Heir-to-Empire, the Admired-of-the-World, the Great-in-Pomp, etc.?
So, to comfort herself she went on mumbling titles as she struggled
along, the sun beating fiercely on her bare head. Such a quaint head,
with sleek black hair parted and plaited and hung with jewels, even
down the long pigtail of brown wool that was added on to the back to
make the hair look more plentiful.
It was a piteous sight and Foster-mother was so conscious of the
devotion it meant that she said "Lo! Head-nurse, thou art a good, good
soul though a hard one to me; but I will never, never, never, forget this
day."
"Nor I," groaned Head-nurse, "but 'tis for the Heir-to-Empire."
It was a full hour before the slope ended in a level bog, on the other
side of which began a visible descent. Then in the angled hills a blue
shadow began to rise, telling of a valley below them.
"Bismillah!" (Thanks be to God) cried Foster-father piously. And every
one echoed the remark except Baby Akbar. He turned round and looked
back at the snowy peaks which were beginning to show behind them.
"Amma, Dadda 'way 'way mountains," he said regretfully and his little
mouth went down as for a cry, when everybody's attention was
distracted by the sudden appearance of a huge furry black dog which
came bounding down the hill side, its big white teeth gleaming as it
uttered shrill, sharp, growling barks.
Head-nurse and Foster-mother shrieked with fright, little Adam ran like
a hare for the shelter of his mother's petticoats, and Meroo the
cook-boy, remembering his bare legs--for like all Indian scullions he
wore short cotton drawers--squatted down where he was standing, in
order to protect them. Even Roy, brave boy that he was, looked
uncomfortable, and both Foster-father and Old Faithful whipped out
their swords.

These were not needed, however, for the next instant a wild-looking
figure clad in a brown blanket started up from behind a rock and
shouted to the dog. It stopped instantly, but stood still--snarling, though
obedient.
It was the funniest looking dog you can imagine. Bigger than a big
collie, it was furry all over even to its tail. And it was black as ink. In
fact with its tiny prick ears and small sharp pointed muzzle all lost in a
huge soft black ruff and nothing to be seen but red tongue, white teeth
and beady black eyes, it was a regular golliwog of a dog.
When Foster-father saw the man in the brown blanket, who from his
crook was evidently a shepherd, he heaved a sigh of relief. "Now," he
said, "we shall be able to find out our way."
But he was mistaken. The man did not understand a word they said,
neither could they understand a word he said.
Head-nurse was in despair. "He speaks like a ghost of the desert," she
wept. "We shall all die of starvation before he understands."
"Die?" echoed Foster-father stoutly. "Not so, woman! There is one
language all understand."
Whereupon he placed himself right in front of the shepherd, opened his
mouth wide and then shook his head. Next he pointed to his stomach
and shook